Margaret (moon) facts for kids
| Discovery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovered by | Scott S. Sheppard, and David C. Jewitt |
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| Discovered in | August 29, 2003 | ||||||
| Orbital characteristics | |||||||
| Mean radius | 14,345,000 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.6608 | ||||||
| Orbital period | 1687.01 d | ||||||
| Inclination | 57° (to the ecliptic) | ||||||
| Is a moon of | Uranus | ||||||
| Physical characteristics | |||||||
| Mean diameter | ~20 km (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface area | ~1300 km2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Volume | ~4000 km3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Mass | ~1.0×1015 kg (estimate) | ||||||
| Mean density | ~1.5 g/cm3 (estimate) | ||||||
| Surface gravity | ~0.0023 m/s2 (estimate) | ||||||
| Escape velocity | ~0.005 km/s (estimate) | ||||||
| Rotation period | ? | ||||||
| Axial tilt | ?° | ||||||
| Albedo | 0.04 (assumed) | ||||||
| Surface temp. |
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| Atmospheric pressure | 0 kPa | ||||||
Margaret is a small, icy moon that orbits the planet Uranus. It's special because it's the only moon of Uranus that orbits in the same direction as the planet spins (this is called prograde motion) but isn't perfectly round (it's non-spherical).
Scientists Scott S. Sheppard and David C. Jewitt found Margaret in 2003. It was first called S/2003 U 3 before getting its official name. Margaret is also known as Uranus XXIII, meaning it was the 23rd moon discovered around Uranus. It was named after a character, a servant of Hero, from William Shakespeare's famous play Much Ado About Nothing.
Margaret's Orbit Around Uranus
Margaret has a very interesting orbit around Uranus. Unlike many moons that orbit close to their planet and in a neat circle, Margaret's path is quite stretched out and tilted.
- Prograde Motion: Margaret moves in the same direction as Uranus spins. Most of Uranus's other small, outer moons orbit in the opposite direction (this is called retrograde motion).
- Eccentricity: Margaret's orbit is very eccentric, meaning it's not a perfect circle. It's more like a stretched-out oval. This means its distance from Uranus changes a lot during its orbit.
- Inclination: The orbit is also highly inclined, which means it's tilted a lot compared to Uranus's equator.
The diagram next to this text shows how Margaret's orbit compares to other irregular moons of Uranus. You can see its unique tilt and stretched shape.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Animation of discovery images showing Margaret's motion relative to background stars and galaxies
See also
In Spanish: Margarita (satélite) para niños
